UNFCCC contribution to the Fourth United Nations Conference on the LDCs

Addressing vulnerability to climate change in LDCs

Background

The challenge of adapting to climate change, particularly in the context of vulnerable and least developed
countries (LDCs), is an issue that has been well recognized in the UNFCCC process. The establishment of an
LDC work programme in
2001 embodies this by recognizing the urgent and immediate needs of LDCs to adapt to climate change. This has
now been complemented by the Cancun
Adaptation Framework which lays out important areas of cooperation between developing and developed
countries for the implementation of adaptation actions. As part of the preparations for the Fourth United Nations Conference on the LDCs
(LDC-IV), the UNFCCC is therefore providing inputs on the support provided to the LDCs and the progress made by
the LDCs in reducing vulnerability to climate change during the period 2001–2010, and future
opportunities.

Activities

The UNFCCC specifically engaged on the following activities in order to facilitate and enrich the substantive
consultations of the LDC-IV on the areas of addressing vulnerability to climate change in LDCs:

Under the theme “Reducing vulnerability due to Climate Change, Climate Variability and
Extremes, Land Degradation and Biodiversity Loss: Environmental and Developmental Challenges and
Opportunities for LDCs”. The event was held in New York, the United States of America, on 28
February 2011.

A publication
was developed on ''Reducing vulnerability to climate change, climate variability and
extremes, land degradation and loss of biodiversity.

A high-level interactive thematic debate on “Reducing Vulnerabilities, Responding to Emerging
Challenges, and Enhancing Food Security in LDCs”, took place on Wednesday, 11 May 2011
during the LDC IV Conference.